Dead or Alive

Amazingly there’s a 3D fighting game on the Saturn that’s as good as both Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighters Megamix ‘ and it’s not made by Sega! Don’t be put off by the fact this is an import title ‘ the only Japanese text is on the character select screen. Everything else, including all option screens, are in English. It just makes it all the more baffling why this wasn’t released out of Japan. Anyway if you’ve got a Saturn then get this. I have nothing more to say.

Model 2 conversion... Virtua Fighter-like gameplay... Silky smooth Saturn 3D Animation... Arcade perfection! A definite winner! A must buy! Need I say more?...

In conclusion, Tecmo Japan's "Dead or Alive," despite its flaws, is THE Best 3D fighting game for the Sega Saturn, and should be something every Saturn owner should check out (if not buy). I have not been so impressed with a game since Square's godly "Tobal 2." This game just screams "Quality," and the 60 frames-per-second, lightning fast, Hi-res fighting action should please any fighting fan.

If you are a fighting game fan this one won’t disappoint you. If you are like me and don’t play fighting games too often, this one will definitely grab your attention, especially in 2 player mode. Great graphics and decent sound effects really make this game fun. With all those different modes, reasonable number of characters, 84 different costumes, and hundreds of moves, I don’t know how this game could get boring. I definitely recommend adding it to your library.

The breathtaking background graphics feature photorealistic city skylights, tropical islands, and industrial areas at sunset. The music is equally good, and it varies greatly from stage to stage. Playing modes include training, team battle, survival, time attack, versus, and tournament, but my favorite is the "Kumite Mode", which pits you against a series of computer opponents. Since the minimum number of battles in Kumite mode is 30, you may want to set the match point to "one round" before undertaking this.

There are two things that really stand out in the fighting game Dead or Alive for the PlayStation One. First of all you cannot help but be impressed by the sumptuous graphics, that come a close second to Tekken 3 for title of tastiest looking psx fighter. Secondly, you'll notice that unlike many other fighting games, this one builds its fighting engine around grabs, reversals and counters.

Combining fantastic graphics and above-average gameplay, Dead or Alive is a fun and challenging fighting game well worth picking up. If there's one thing the PlayStation has a lot of, it's fighting games. Good fighting games on the other hand are a different story. Tecmo just happens to have one of those different stories though, and it goes by the name of Dead or Alive.

Dead or Alive is another one of those weird arcade fighting games that you've heard of, and maybe even seen, but never bothered to play. Tecmo's fighter, made using the same hardware that brought Virtua Fighter 2 to life, plays similarly to VF2 but uses a slightly improved fighting engine. The result is a game that plays pretty well, translates to the Saturn well, and ultimately, makes a more interesting home game than the arcade version ever hoped to be.

Dead Or Alive is een degelijk vechtspel. De graphics zien er goed uit, het vechten gaat prima en de characters zijn pro's met ieder een eigen setje moves. Het probleem is dat dat tegenwoordig gewoonweg niet genoeg meer is om te boeien. Er zijn zo veel betere games op de markt dat ik geen enkele reden zie om tijd te verspillen aan een middelmatige beat'em up.